Migrants deported from the United States—joined by activists and religious figures—staged the “Migrant Way of the Cross” this Monday, reenacting the Passion of Christ to draw attention to the migration phenomenon in southern Mexico.
The demonstrators protested against the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, under which they were deported to Tapachula (Chiapas); there, they burned a piñata to express their grievances and the uncertainty they face.
Father Heyman Vázquez Medina, parish priest of San Andrés Apóstol in Hidalgo, stated that accompanying migrants on their journey constitutes a “Way of the Cross” filled with immense suffering.
“On the part of the government, things remain unchanged; there is no interest in treating migrants with dignity. Whenever an opportunity arises to rob or extort them, they do so. There is absolutely no concern shown by the authorities or the civilian population; regrettably, they take advantage of the migrants,” he asserted.
Luis Rey García Villagrán, director of the Center for Human Dignity (CDH), affirmed that no migrant seeks to remain in Tapachula—where tens of thousands of foreigners remain “stranded”—while simultaneously denouncing the inaction of the authorities tasked with assisting them.
“Today, we are going to tell the people of Tapachula that no migrant wishes to stay here. They may continue to harbor animosity, but today, the migrants will force COMAR (the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance)—and the other agencies designated for this purpose—to finally get to work,” he declared.
